Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII...

Author's Note: Once again, so sorry for the delay. I also apologize for this chapter, as I feel it is far from my best. Hopefully the next one will improve. As always, thank you for your kind reviews!

Midnight Song

Chapter Five

"You take a lot of chances with your feelings

No one really knows what you feel

And fiction is the only way you're dealing

You turn your pretty head if it gets real

You take it so slowly

And your eyes look so lonely

And it's only when you think about me

Oh yeah

When you think about me

Think about me..."

- "Think About Me" Goo Goo Dolls

RINOA walked through the door of the Caraway Mansion, utterly exhausted. If she never stepped foot into another weapons shop, she would lead a perfectly happy life. Her and Squall had spent a good hour going over the strengths and weaknesses of various weapons in the shop before she had finally settled on a pinwheel. While not the strongest of weapons, Rinoa had liked its light-weight feel, as well as its striking distance. Squall had surprisingly approved of her choice, so Rinoa now owned her very first weapon.

"Store that in a safe place," Squall instructed from behind her. She had forgotten he was there.

"Yeah," she said absently, "I'll be sure to do that."

To be honest, it was hard to concentrate on what Squall was saying when Rinoa's mind was still hung up on their discussion of Seifer. What was he hiding from her? It was really none of her business, but she was just so damn curious. After the kindness Squall had shown her today, though, it would be far too cruel to press him further now.

"There shouldn't be any problems with your father, but if he complains, tell him to get in touch with me," Squall continued.

Rinoa nodded. "I will."

Squall looked as if he wanted to say something else, but settled for a nod instead. "I'll see you tomorrow, then." Rinoa nodded once more, which he took as his sign to leave.

As soon as the door closed, Rinoa let out a long sigh, although whether the sigh was in relief or frustration was yet to be determined. Squall's behavior throughout the day had done nothing but confuse her. Part of her was thankful, but the other part of her was more confused than ever. What sense could she possibly make out of his actions? Yup, he was definitely a tough nut to crack. Still, she was determined to get through to her tutor. As she had told him, she never gave up.

In the meantime, she still had a world of studying to do. Regardless of having acquired a weapon, she was determined to win her bet against Squall. It wasn't even about the field training anymore. From what she had seen of Squall that day, she had a feeling that she would be starting her field training soon, with or without winning the bet. No, this had become so much more to her. It was a way to show her tutor that she wasn't one to be reckoned with, and that she definitely wasn't a spoiled brat without a brain in her head. She intended to show him exactly what she was made of.

"RINOA!" Caraway yelled, "Mr. Leonhart is waiting! Get down here now!" Shaking his head, he turned to Squall. "I'm sorry about this. It seems my daughter has overslept. I'm sure she'll be down shortly, but in the meantime, please make yourself comfortable in the study."

Squall nodded, but Caraway hardly noticed as he stormed off down the hallway. He was beginning to realize that Caraway had a flare for the dramatic. Shaking his head, Squall crossed over to the study and set his things down. Today was the day the winner of the bet was to be determined. Rinoa was probably taking her sweet time in coming down so that she could squeeze in some last minute studying. Either way, Squall wasn't worried. He knew there was no possible way that she could have memorized that book, but he did have to commend her for trying. She was definitely something else.

The door to the study creaked open, causing Squall to look up. It was only Nancy. "The General would like me to inform you that Miss Rinoa should be down in five minutes. Is there anything I can get you while you wait?"

"No," Squall said, shaking his head. "I'm fine."

With a firm nod, Nancy left the room, once again leaving him to his thoughts. Rinoa was really putting on a show. Thinking of the lecture Caraway would have for his daughter after Squall left was definitely amusing. Of course, she would probably find a way to blame it on him. Whatever, it was really none of his business in the first place. As long as his paychecks kept on coming, what Rinoa and Caraway did was of absolutely no concern to him. Besides, Rinoa was simply far too much trouble than she was worth.

"Mr. Leonhart, I am so sorry," Rinoa wheezed as she came running into the room. "I overslept."

Sure you did, Squall thought to himself, but immediately changed his mind upon seeing the bags under her eyes and her overall disheveled appearance. "Don't worry about it," he heard himself saying. "Let's just get started."

Rinoa surprised him by nodding and promptly taking a seat. She seemed unusually quiet, but Squall figured that was because of her lack of sleep.

"I guess we'll start with a quiz on the material covered in the book. If you pass, we can begin your field training tomorrow," Squall informed her. "You ready?"

"Yes," Rinoa said softly, nodding to reaffirm her agreement.

"Alright, first question. What are the three types of thunder based magic called?"

"Thunder, Thundara, and Thundaga," she answered automatically, surprised at the easiness of the question. She hoped he wasn't trying to lull her into a false sense of security.

Squall nodded. "Correct. What is the maximum number of different types of magic you can carry?"

"That's a...trick...question," Rinoa told him, her voice growing fainter by the second.

Squall frowned. "Miss Heartilly, are you alright?"

Rinoa closed her eyes, but nodded. "There's an...unlimited amount of...magic...you can...carry." Her voice faltered once again.

"Miss Heartilly?" Squall strode over to where she was sitting and hesitantly placed a hand on her forehead. "Christ, you're burning up."

"No," Rinoa said, her voice barely above a whisper, "I'm fine."

"You are not fine, Miss Heartilly. I'm going to call your father in here."

"No!" she said, much more forcefully this time. A determined look spread across her features and she forced herself to stand up.

The whole world seemed to spin right before Rinoa's eyes, and she immediately felt herself falling. A distant part of her mind braced for the impact, but it never came. Instead, she found herself wrapped up in the arms of her tutor. At any other time, she would have been shocked, but in that moment, all she could think about was how Squall's eyes had softened, staring concernedly into her own.

"Squall..." she whispered, and before she had time to realize what she had just said, she had passed out in his arms.

"Dammit!" Squall cursed, looking about him helplessly. He didn't want to just leave Rinoa, but he had to find someone who could help her.

He gently extracted her from his arms, and then placed her down on the couch. "I'll be right back," he told her, and then felt like and idiot. Of course she couldn't hear him.

The moment Squall stepped outside, he nearly collided with the General himself. This would have highly annoyed Squall at any other point in time, but right now, he found himself immensely relieved to see him.

"What's the matter, Leonhart?" Caraway barked. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"It's Rinoa, Sir. She needs a doctor."

The General's eyes widened. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Squall said helplessly. "She was burning up, and then she just passed out."

"Out of my way, boy! I'll go call the doctor. You stay with Rinoa and try to get her to wake up," Caraway instructed.

Squall nodded and then reentered the study. Rinoa was still laying on the couch, eyes closed. Despite the potential danger she was in, Squall couldn't help noticing that Rinoa looked extremely peaceful.

"Hey," Squall said, touching her shoulder lightly, "Can you hear me?"

Rinoa's eyes slowly opened and began to focus in on the man in front of her. "Mr. Leonhart?" she asked softly.

Squall nodded. "Yeah, I'm right here."

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure. You were burning up, and then you suddenly passed out," he explained.

"Heh, it must have been the stress of your test," she said with a weak smile.

"I told you it would be challenging."

"Oh, please," Rinoa said, rolling her eyes, "It was a joke."

"Well, I'm glad to see that you're regaining your strength."

Rinoa's smile grew wide. "Were you worried about me, Mr. Leonhart?"

"What I was worried about was not having the chance to win our bet."

"Oh, really? How about we continue with the questions and see if you're right about that."

Squall threw her a skeptical look. "After what just happened, I think you should be resting."

"I'm fine," she insisted, and began to sit up. However, her head immediately felt heavy, causing her to lie right back down.

"You were saying?" Squall smiled slightly.

"Okay," Rinoa sighed, "You win."

Squall shook his head. "Let's just call it a draw. We can start your field training as soon as you're better."

"Do you really mean that?" Rinoa asked, unable to mask her surprise.

"Yes," Squall told her, looking serious.

Rinoa suddenly felt shy. He had surprised her once again with his kindness, and just like before, it had caught her completely off guard. What also surprised her was how much she was starting to like her tutor. Before she had time to ponder the situation further, Caraway rushed into the room, followed by a doctor.

"Ah, you're awake," Caraway commented, sounding relieved. "In any case, Dr. Williams is here to examine you."

"Hello, Rinoa," the doctor greeted her, and then turned toward Squall and Caraway. "If you two would be so kind as to leave the room, I may start the examination."

The two men quickly left the room, closing the door and allowing the doctor to do his job. No sound could be heard in the hallway, and each man was too caught up in his own thoughts to strike up a conversation with the other. There was really nothing either one of them could do except wait, whatever the news might be. The minutes seemed to stretch on into hours, until the door finally opened and the doctor stepped out.

"Well?" Caraway demanded.

"Your daughter is suffering from exhaustion," Dr. Williams explained. "She's going to be fine, but she needs to take it easy for the next few days."

"Leonhart, have you been overworking my daughter?" Caraway asked angrily.

"No, Sir."

Caraway shook his head. "Regardless, you heard the man. Rinoa needs to take it easy, which means no lessons for the next few days. You may be on your way."

Squall hesitated. "I, uh, need to get my things."

"Make it quick."

Nodding, Squall walked back into the study and grabbed his duffel bag. Upon hearing the noise, Rinoa opened her eyes. "You're leaving."

"Yeah. The doctor says you need your rest, so I won't be seeing you for a few days."

"Oh," Rinoa said, surprised to find that she was disappointed. "Well, thank you for, um, everything."

Squall nodded once more and then hurried out of the room. The air in there had suddenly become much too thick for his taste. At least he would have the next few days off. That would offer him ample time to forget about everything that had occurred today, especially the way shivers had run down his spine when Rinoa had called him by his first name.

THE next few days passed quietly as Rinoa found herself confined to her room. On any other occasion, she would have strongly protested, but she had been far too tired to care. She passed the hours curled up in her bed, drifting in and out of sleep and dreams filled with the image of her tutor's face. When she was awake, she couldn't do more than stare off into space vacantly, contemplating the events that had transpired over the past few days.

"Wake up, sleepy head!" a cheerful voice called, playfully flicking Rinoa on the head.

Rinoa groaned, burying her head into the pillow. "How'd you get in here, Selphie?"

The cheerful brunette frowned at her friend's back. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

With a sigh of defeat, Rinoa rolled over. "I am happy to see you, just not so happy to be woken up."

"Oh, please. You've been sleeping for three whole days. It's about time you got up."

"What part of 'exhaustion' don't you understand, Selphie?" a voice asked from the doorway.

"Irvine, you're here, too?" Rinoa asked, not really surprised. It was rare to find Selphie or Irvine without the other.

"Of course," he said, bowing gallantly, "And I apologize for Selphie's behavior. I told her that you'd want to be left alone."

Rinoa had to stifle a laugh at Irvine's formal tone. "Don't worry about it. I'm feeling a lot better, and Selphie's right, I should be getting up." She hoisted herself up and scooted over so her friends could take a seat.

"We really were worried about you, Rin," Selphie told her. "Why are you so exhausted all of a sudden?"

"I don't know," Rinoa said, shrugging. "I guess I've just been studying too hard."

"I knew this had something to do with your new tutor!" Selphie exclaimed.

Rinoa shook her head. "It was my fault. We made a bet and I wanted to win it, so I did everything in my power to. I guess it was just too much."

"Don't blame yourself, Rinoa! Look at what this guy is doing to you! You have to talk to your father."

"Selphie's right," Irvine agreed. "You can't kill yourself over this guy. Besides, weren't you saying the other day that you can't stand the guy?"

"Well, I was wrong," Rinoa admitted, surprising everyone in the room, including herself. "Mr. Leonhart isn't a bad person. In fact, he's been really nice to me lately. Do you know he took me to see Clarissa at the hospital?"

"Wow," Selphie said, smirking, "You like him!"

"What?" Rinoa said, starting to turn red. "No I don't."

"Oh, you so do! Look, you're even blushing!" Selphie squealed triumphantly.

"No, I'm not!" Rinoa insisted, turning positively crimson.

"Irvine, isn't she turning red?"

"Most definitely," Irvine added, smirking as well.

Rinoa covered her face with her hands. "You guys are terrible!"

"Aw, you don't have to get all embarrassed about it. I think it's cute that you have a crush on your tutor."

"Weren't you just telling me that Mr. Leonhart is bad news?" Rinoa pointed out.

"That was before you told us that he took you to see Clarissa. That was pretty sweet."

Rinoa just shook her head. There was no stopping Selphie once she got started. Noticing her discomfort, Irvine stepped in, saying, "Alright, Selphie, leave the girl alone. We should get going, anyway."

"Oh, alright," Selphie said reluctantly. "Get well soon, Rin. When you get better, we'll finish this conversation." She winked and then exited the room with Irvine, singing "Rinoa loves Mr. Leonhart" all the way.

SQUALL walked down the street slowly, his head occupied with a frenzy of thoughts. He had just come back from a meeting with Quistis at the Deling City Hotel. All had been quiet in the city lately, which meant trouble as far as Squall was concerned. Quistis had seemed to agree, and promised that she would keep tabs on the situation. When he had volunteered to look into the matter himself, Quistis had promptly reminded him that Rinoa was supposed to be his main concern. He was to do everything in his power to ensure her safety.

How am I supposed to protect he when I haven't even seen her in three days? Squall thought irritably. He would never admit it, but he was actually starting to miss his tutoring sessions with Rinoa. Part of him even felt a bit guilty for making that bet with her. She wouldn't have exhausted herself to such a state if it hadn't been for her determination to win the bet. Squall smiled wryly, shaking his head. Yep, she sure was something else.

As Squall walked on, he found that his steps had led him to the Caraway Mansion. Damn, he thought upon seeing the building, She's really getting under my skin. Now that he was here, did he dare stop in? Rinoa was most likely resting under Caraway's watchful eye. The last thing either of them probably wanted was to be disturbed by him. God, what was he doing? He was turning into a fool over this girl. Squall shook his head and was just about to walk away when two people came walking out the front door.

"Rinoa loves Mr. Leonhart! Rinoa loves Mr. Leonhart!"

"Selphie, would you please stop? Rinoa can't hear you anymore, so give it a rest."

"No way, Irvine! This is too much fun! Rinoa loves Mr. Leonhart! Rinoa loves Mr. Leonhart! Rinoa loves Mr.-"

Irvine glanced over at Selphie's sudden silence. "What is it?"

"Is that Mr. Leonhart?" Selphie whispered anxiously, pointing to where Squall was standing. "He looks just like the man Rinoa described."

Irvine shrugged. "It could be anybody."

"I'm gonna go over and talk to him," Selphie said excitedly, her eyes shining with mischief.

"Selphie..." Irvine warned, but it was too late. Selphie had already walked over to where the man stood.

"Are you Mr. Leonhart?" Selphie asked right away.

Squall gave a slight nod, and then turned to be on his way.

"Wait!" Selphie exclaimed, grabbing his arm. "I'm Selphie Tilmitt, one of Rinoa's best friends. This is Irvine Kinneas, her other best friend."

By this time, Irvine had reached the two of them. "Howdy," he said, tipping his hat. "Pleasure to meet you."

Squall remained silent, prompting Selphie to speak up. "So what are you doing here, Mr. Leonhart? Going to see Rinoa?"

"I was just walking down the street," he said coldly.

Selphie smiled. "It sure didn't look like that to me. That doesn't matter, though. You should really go in and visit Rinoa. She could sure use some company."

"If she is looking for company, I highly doubt seeing me is what she had in mind," Squall said flatly.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that," Selphie said with a wink. "I think you should go see for yourself. The General isn't home, if that's what's holding you back."

"It's not."

Selphie shrugged. "Have it your way. Come on, Irvine, we should get going."

Squall watched the two of them walk away, a frown etched upon his face. He had never seen someone so hyper. With a shake of the head, he quickly made his way down the path to the front of the estate. It wouldn't hurt to stop in for a few minutes, just to make sure that she was alright. Not that he cared or anything. He just wanted to know when he would have his job back.

The moment he knocked on the door, Nancy opened it, not looking the least bit surprised to see him. In fact, he could swear that he saw amusement on her face. Was the whole world going crazy today?

"Come on in, Mr. Leonhart," Nancy said, ushering him inside. "I suppose you want to see Ms. Rinoa?" Squall nodded, feeling oddly nervous. "Well, that provides us with quite a dilemma, doesn't it? You see, it would be highly improper for you to visit Ms. Rinoa in her chambers, yet the General has strictly forbidden her leaving them."

Squall was beginning to feel like coming to see Rinoa had not been the best decision. "I just wanted to know when our tutoring sessions will be returning. If that's a problem, then I can leave."

Nancy shook her head with a wry smile. "What the General doesn't know can't hurt him. You go on up, Mr. Leonhart. I'll keep watch."

Squall just stared at her, dumbfounded. "Excuse me?"

"I said go on up. Ms. Rinoa's room is the last door on the right. Don't be long," she said with a wink, pushing him over to the staircase.

Feeling dazed, Squall made his way up the stairs. Now he was really feeling like this had all been a bad idea. He was sure that Rinoa would be anything but happy to find him in her room, and if the General found out, he was sure to be out of a job. With a shake of his head, Squall walked down the hall until he had reached the last door on the right. Feeling like he was in way over his head, he knocked.

"Come in," Rinoa called, sounding weary.

Squall opened the door hesitantly and was immediately met with the sight of Rinoa's shocked face. "Mr. Leonhart?" she asked, hurriedly straightening up in her bed.

Squall nodded. "Do you mind if I come in?"

"Uh, no, come on in."

The air hung heavily between them the moment Squall entered the room. Rinoa's cheeks were flushed and she looked downright embarrassed. Squall couldn't help feeling that she looked incredibly cute in such a vulnerable position.

"How are you feeling?" Squall asked, breaking the silence.

"Much better. The rest has really helped. I'll have to talk to my father about continuing with our lessons."

Squall raised an eyebrow. "You almost sound happy about that."

"Well, I am," she said automatically, and then realized how that could come across. "I mean, I've been bored out of my mind."

"Ah, so you do find my lectures interesting," Squall said with a faint smile.

Rinoa just shrugged. "I suppose they're better than being cooped up in here."

"I guess you'd rather fall asleep during our sessions, then."

"Hey," Rinoa said indignantly, "I've never fallen asleep during a lesson."

"But you've come awfully close."

"Did you come here to argue with me, Mr. Leonhart?"

"No, I came here upon the express wishes of your friend, Selphie."

"Oh, God," Rinoa moaned, "What did she say to you?"

"Well, she seemed pretty insistent on my coming to see you. I also could have sworn I heard her say something along the lines of 'Rinoa loves Mr. Leonhart'."

"I am going to kill her!" Rinoa exclaimed, burying her head in her hands. "Listen, Mr. Leonhart, I swear I never said that. Selphie just has an overactive imagination."

Squall laughed, a real, genuine laugh, and Rinoa could swear that her heart stopped. That's when she knew that she was in trouble. "I knew better than to take her seriously," Squall assured her. "I think you've made it clear how you feel about me."

Rinoa looked down at her hands guiltily. She had definitely said some things to him that she wasn't proud of. Then again, he hadn't been so polite himself. Rinoa suddenly felt extremely angry. Sure, he had been nice to her the past few days, but did that really change his true personality? She was too tired to be playing games.

"I owe you an apology," Squall said abruptly, seeming to sense her change in attitude. "I should have never agreed to that bet."

"Please," Rinoa said, rolling her eyes. "I initiated the whole thing, and I was the one who was so intent on studying. You might have other things to apologize for, but agreeing to the bet is not one of them."

"You have a way with words, I'll give you that."

"But are my words wrong?"

Squall shrugged. "It depends on your definition of decency."

"Forget it. You're not the type of person to admit that you've done something wrong."

"Like you?"

Rinoa rubbed her eyes wearily. "I suggest that you get going, Mr. Leonhart. My father will be home soon, and if he finds you here, you're going to lose that paycheck that you love so much."

She had a point, but Squall found that he was surprisingly reluctant to leave. Bickering with Rinoa was turning out to be more fun than he had anticipated. "Are you that anxious to get rid of me?"

"Yes, she is," a voice snapped from the doorway, "So why don't you get the hell out."